Autocad Architecture 2011 cpu?

[gbettridge]

I have been out of the work force due to a spinal disability for about 6 years now and I may be jumping back into the fray. Can someone help me in finding the right hardware for Autocad Architecture 2011; I'm on a very tight budget? I'm looking at buying a pc from Re-PC or at the best from Tiger Direct (stores like that).
I currently have a P4 2.53 GHz with 2 GB ram and running XP Home. Autodesk says a minimum P4 3.0 GHz but I see a lot of Dual Cores in my price range. Is a 2.4 GHz Dual Core adequate to run ACA 2011 or would I be better off getting one of their P4 3.0's? I will be doing some rendering but the main thing will be construction docs.
Thanks for any advice you may have.
Greg

[sinc]

Even though the specs may say 3.0GHz P4 minimum, I wouldn't go with a P4, even if you can still get one. Recent versions of Autocad run so slow on such machines that I wouldn't want to use one for anything.

Also, if you're looking at clock speeds, keep in mind that chip architecture is also important. A 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo will outperform a 3.0GHz Pentium Dual-Core by quite a bit.

If you're on a minimal budget, your best price/performance is probably in the i3/i5 series with 8GB RAM, with Win 7 x64 as your OS. You might also find a good Core 2 Duo at a good price. For the bulk of operations, multiple CPUs or cores will not help, so your best bet is to try to get the CPU with the fastest single-core turbo speed you can get in your price range. However, rendering can use multiple cores, so the extra cores will help for that.

When targeting the low end, I've found it usually doesn't help much to buy components and build a machine. There are plenty of low-end $1000 machines out there that will run Cad decently, and it's hard to beat some of those prepackaged deals by buying components.

And regardless of your hardware, one of the most important things you can do is avoid Windows XP, and get Win 7.

[gbettridge]

Sinc,
Thanks for the update. I was looking at the i3 and i5 and forcing myself to turn away my eyes from the temptress i7.
So the Core 2 duo 2.4 will be adequate for the heavier hitters of the Autocad family like Architecture or Civil? But I need to up the memory and go to the 64-bit Windows 7 OS.
I wrote Autodesk and after a very long wait; weeks, I got a response that was not helpful. I wrote back and got no response.
I see that you are Civil. I assume that you are using Autocad Civil (as well as the programs you have created) and that it would be more intense and require a beefier machine as with Architecture. Is that right? Especially if you are working in 3D civil.
When I become rich and famous again, then I can afford the best machines. Wait, I never was rich or famous.

[sinc]

I would consider a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo to be around the minimum usable CPU. Your machine will be on the slow side, but it will be usable. If you can find a Core i3/i5 that can turbo up, that would be better.

Beware skimping too much. There are computers available for under $1000 that can run Architecture better. How much are you saving by going with a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo? If it's only a few hundred dollars, is that really worth constantly battling a slow machine for the next couple of years?